Richard Gonzalez

This chapter reviews several descriptive models of decision making under risk, including empirical evidence.

So you find out you have a mutation that puts you at risk for cancer. What does that mean? What should you do? The availability of genetic testing for disease calls for new decision making models and counseling approaches that go beyond the traditional frameworks used for reproductive decisions. This paper reviews existing models and proposes a new framework to guide decision making in the new world of genetic testing for disease.

This study tests alternate ways of presenting information during a genetic counseling session.

In this paper we examine the role of rank, such as whether you are ranked #3 or #4 or #97 or #98 out of a hundred, on choices of strategy. The findings have implications for theories of motivation, social comparison, cooperation and competition.

Standard approaches to medical decision making, such as the Health Belief Model, focus mostly on the cognitive aspects of decisions, such as balancing perceived severity and perceived benefits. Our analysis shows that important affective variables, such as worry and appraisals, play an additional role in predicting actual medical choices, such as the choice to pursue genetic testing for breast cancer. These findings suggest the need to develop broader models of how people make decisions in health care domains.

In this chapter we review the judgment and decision making literature for insights into encouraging adherence to medical regimens in older adults.